Fiu De Noaptea Aripa (Hiatus & Chapters currently being rewritten!)
by Terminus Verso
Summary: After a lab accident, Danny finds himself trapped in another dimension. In the body of a child no less! Will he be able to hide his secrets? Will he find a way to fit into his new strange family? Dick Grayson has faced many horrible things throughout his life, but now he is challenged by his most terrifying trial yet: fatherhood.
1. An Accident

A loud _bang-_ that's how it all started; how his life got utterly turned upside down. Honestly, Danny had no idea what happened. Or how it happened. One moment everything was fine, then his ungodly bad luck struck out of nowhere and ruined everything. An ear-piercing beeping noise rang throughout the house. The portal's warning lights flashed bright red. And, poof- now he lied, sprawled on top of a car hood, with a sizeable dent cradling his body. Danny couldn't stop a pained whimper from escaping. Every extension of his being ached. Heart, soul- anything that could feel pain hurt. Badly. Sirens (police, fire truck, and ambulance) blared in the background. Though, hearing them was nay impossible due to the harsh ringing in his ears. Carefully, he attempted to open his eyes. It didn't work. His weary body failed to summon the strength required to do so. _Well, this is_ not _good_ , Danny thought. _Not good at all._

He struggled once more to do something. _Anything_. Limbs refused to move; ghost powers failed to surface. Danny - Amity Park's resident ghost hero - was utterly helpless, without a single friend or family member to come running to his aid. Internal panic clawed at his heart. Were the people he cherished in the same stated as him? Worried thoughts ran through his head, only to slowly fade out along with the distant sound of shouting people.

* * *

Consciousness was slow to return- creeping closer and closer but remaining just out of reach. Slumber's signature fog stood its ground, refusing to be chased away. Danny fought anyways. He struggled against the strange haze threatening to confine him to the land of dreams. And, ever-so-slowly, the raven-haired hero won. The first thing his awakened mind recognized was the unsettling texture of his bed. The soft, plush bed sitting in his room at Fenton Works couldn't be what laid beneath him. This fraudulent furnishing had sheets akin to low grit sandpaper and enough lumps to make the princess from 'The Princess and the Pea' faint in horror. Disconcerting? Yes, especially considering he _should_ be in his cozy bed at home. Meaning Danny was _not_ at home. That revelation left an important question unanswered: Where was he?

He cracked open his eyes, promptly being blinded by bright fluorescent lights. Light/dark spots danced in his vision. With time the pesky spots cleared, allowing him a proper look at the surroundings. Sterile white colored the ceiling and walls. Danny would be lying if he said the color hadn't frightened him. Being what he was - a halfa - naturally, the color strongly associated with his third greatest enemy would bring about some trepidation. Thankfully, a frantic glance around the room cleared up any worries. It was a hospital room. Not a prison created to detain the supernatural kind. Danny released a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Turning his head slightly, he gazed out the curtainless window next to the bed. A flurry of hues - mainly pinks, oranges, and light purples - mixed along the horizon as the sun descended. _What happened? How did I end up in a hospital of all places? And how have they not figured out I'm a halfa?_ Before Danny could ponder these thoughts further, the events of what happened came rushing back to him.

 _Amity Park, Ohio - the most haunted town on earth - had entered an unusual state of calm. Whispy clouds puttered across the boundless blue above. The sun positioned itself at the highest peak, shining streams of brilliant light on the lands below. Natural, non-ectoplasmic/ghastly wildlife chirped and chittered as they scurried around. No doubt enjoying the low, almost nonexistent, ghostly presence. All in all, it was a perfect day._ Ideal _. To the point, he nearly wished aloud that every day could be as pleasant. School was boring as always- lectures on literature, lengthy lessons on polynomials, and enough physics homework and worksheets to drive someone insane. And, for once, there was no real excuse to skip any classes. But Danny survived through all of them easily. It was nothing compared to his daily ghost fights, which had yet to occur. Dash seemed to be holding off on bullying others, too. Odd? Very. However, he more than happily accepted the break from the usual shenanigans. His only displeasure with the day was that the improved Fenton Thermos refused to work._

 _"Why won't this damn thing work properly?!" Danny growled, frustration lining his voice and showed on his face. The slam of his fists created an echoing bang on the lab table in front of him. Every calculation, even the most insignificant variable, was correct. He double-checked them twice._ Twice _! Yet, the infernal device lying on the table refused to function. It was beyond infuriating, especially considering the extent he went to to ensure accuracy while building it. With a sigh, Danny flopped back into the metal folding chair and grabbed ahold of his notes. There had to be an error somewhere, right? Why else wouldn't it be working?_

 _With the suddenness of spontaneous combustion, a shrill beeping vibrated throughout the lab. Danny jolted (thoroughly started by the noise, not that he'd admit it if asked), sending the chair flying backward as he quickly stood. Bright red rhythmically flashed along the walls- the Ghost Portal's numerous warning lights had activated._

 _"Fuck, fuck,_ fuck _!" He chanted, making a break for its' control panel. Whatever was wrong needed to be fixed somehow or, at the very least, stopped entirely. His family- Jazz, Jack, and Maddie were sleeping upstairs. They could not die in some freak accident. Not again. Nigh frantically, Danny began mashing series after series of buttons to shut down the device. (Because why not make it needlessly complicated to turn off as well as place the 'on' button in the machine.) Combinations failed left and right._ Nothing _was working. Not even the emergency shutdown code. Panic increasing, heart racing- He did the only thing he could think of: Pulling any and all power cords. That, though, failing to stop the impending explosion. A powerful bang shook the air. Flames burst forth from the portal's entrance, forcing Danny's world to turn black._

 _Awareness came along with excruciating pain. Ringing blocked out the noises from the world around him. Coolness associated with the metallic feel of cars sat beneath him. He had been thrown into them enough times to be familiar with the sensation. How did he get there? Was his family safe? Judging by the various sirens slipping past the horrid ringing in his ears, the answer to the latter question may be a strong 'no.' Danny attempted to pry open his eye, to find the strength to do anything at all, but couldn't find any. Then the sounds faded away as he passed out._

The sound of the room's door opening drew him from his thoughts. He glanced at the entrance, watching as a man walked through. The short-haired blonde visitor had rich, chocolate brown skin and brilliant sky blue eyes that seemed to glow unnaturally. It was oddly reminiscent of a ghost. Cold. Dead. Mostly uninviting. Strangely enough, though, Danny's ghost sense did not trigger. Worrying, considering he radiated the immense power of the Ancients. Like Clockwork, the Keeper of Time. The man - a doctor, as his attire would imply (stethoscope and long, white coat) - approached him, saying, "Oh, good. You're awake." The voice was gruff, but not unpleasantly so. Seemingly out of nowhere, the unnamed doctor materialized a clipboard.

* * *

After running a gauntlet of tests (both invasive and noninvasive), Danny found himself with a newly sighed clean bill of health. Which he believed to strange and suspicious. His heart beat at a slower rate than normal; Low enough to be quite obvious. Even his low temperature should have indicated something was wrong. Yet, the doctor seemed to gloss over those facts- Going as far as to forge information on the sheet, so Danny appeared normal. It was perplexing. Why would a doctor risk his job to protect him? To keep his secret? Was he one of those few sympathetic individuals?

"Okay. With all that out of the way- do you remember what happened?" His secret keeper asked, a somber note seeping into his tone.

Danny nodded 'yes', dreading news on the status of his family. They were in the building when the explosion occurred. Meaning - Jazz, his mom, his dad - they were either dead (again, due to his failure) or in intensive care.

"There was an explosion..." He glanced toward the ground, unwilling to say more than that.

Silence descended upon the room. The doctor said nothing, and Danny dared to look up to meet his pitying gaze. A troubled sigh sounded. Then the bed dipped beside him, which was where the blonde chose to sit and deliver his bad news.

"They didn't make it."

He felt his heart freeze. His whole world shatter into tiny pieces. Tears dripped onto the sheets, and Danny couldn't find the resolve to stop them. His sister, his parents- They were really, truly gone. And this time, there was no powerful time-controlling entity to save them. The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze before continuing, "The rescue team did everything they could, but by the time they located your family... it was too late. I'm sorry, kid."

"But- uh... Chin up, kid." The other quickly added upon seeing Danny's grief-stricken face. "The hospital managed to locate your next of kin - your biological father - and he'll be coming to pick you up as soon as possible."

The raven's eyes widened as he processed the words of comfort; instead, feeling immense confusion rather than the intended relief.

 _Biological fath- Wait... What?!_


	2. Chapter 2

When Dick Grayson woke up this morning the last thing he expected was a call that would lead him to Amity Park, Ohio. Apparently an old fling decided to never mention she gave birth to _his_ son. Madeline, or Maddie, was her name. She was an older woman with beautiful red hair. They meet one faithful night in a bar. She and her husband, Jack, had hit a bump in their relationship since their daughter was born. He wanted to focus on their inventions while Maddie wanted to raise their daughter like normal people. At the time, Dick was a rebellious teen trying to forge his own path. They were both drunk that night. Then one thing led to another and now here he is, traveling to the town she settled down in to get his son.

He was livid that Maddie didn't tell him she had been pregnant with his kid. Instead he had to learn from a social worker that she, her husband, and daughter died and she left the son he never knew about in his custody. They died in an explosion from an experiment gone wrong. It was a miracle his son, Daniel, even managed to survive the blast. Part of him was pissed off at the events.

Not to say he wasn't happy, Dick was ecstatic to see his son. _Another Grayson_. He will no longer be the last Grayson. Dick just wished it would have been under better circumstances. Besides, he has absolutely no clue how his family will react. What on earth would he tell Bruce? _"Surprise! You have a grandchild."_ Dick thought. _"Yeah, no. I'd have better luck convincing him Jason loves him."_

Perhaps he should get a head start on that thirty page essay on why protection doesn't always work. Dick could practically hear Bruce lecturing him. When he was young Bruce would give him a two hour long speech about having safe sex whenever he was interested in anyone. Dick liked to imagine Bruce did that with Jason, Tim, and Damian too. Though it was unlikely since his brother didn't really do the whole dating thing. At least, not very well. He didn't actually know if Damian knew what dating is.

It wasn't too late to get his son and flee the country. No, that would not work either. Bruce would find him faster than the Flash can finish a twenty course meal. But it would be a lot easier than figuring out a way to tell Bruce about Daniel. His best bet is to break the news slowly. He had to get Daniel home without any incidents first. If he can keep the kid hidden for a week or two then he would have a better chance of Bruce not blowing up. The famous Batman was already stressed and grouchy due to a tricky case he is working on. Dick didn't need that aggression misplaced toward him or his son.

He needed to make a plan, after all Nightwing couldn't just vanish when he returned home with his son in tow. That left one very important question. When he was out at night who would babysit Daniel? His brothers were out of the question. Jason would kill him within an hour. The thought caused him to shudder. Tim was unfortunately very busy running Wayne Enterprise and hunting down his own criminals. And Damian… Well, he has come a long way since his assassin days, but Dick did not want to think about what would happen if the two were left alone together. Dick knew Damian would not murder his son in cold blood, he is the boy's favorite brother after all. They share a bond only a Batman and their Robin can have. Damian would probably teach Daniel how to kill someone with a roll of paper towels and a loaf of bread. That was _definitely not_ something his child ever needs to learn.

As of this moment, he is staring out a private jet window watching the clouds fly by. Dick lied to his family about why he was going to Amity Park. To them, he is following a lead. To him, he is going to retrieve his only blood relative - his son. His eight year old son. The same age Dick was when his mother and father died - when they plummeted to their death. Dick wouldn't be surprised if it was a family curse at work. Living on the road for so long made him superstitious. His other family members didn't believe in superstitions. If Damian ever met a ghost, he would scoff in their face and tell them how fake they look. Only Alfred ever bothered to humor his superstitious nature, whether it be by burning herbs or chanting a bunch of made up words to make him feel better.

Dick hated deceiving his family, but he knew in the end it would be worth it. Lying to his brothers and father wasn't easy. Bats ask too many questions. After all, they are detectives. Forging a lead for their current case was easy enough, but making his family believe it was harder. It was a whole other challenge to convince them he could handle investigating it alone. That was one challenge he didn't win. But he did manage to convince them to let Roy, aka Red Arrow, come with him. Dick knew that when they returned there would be plenty of question regarding why they can back empty handed.

The whole situation seemed so unreal, Dick could hardly believe it. He has a son. And he is going to bring his son home. To a city over run with crime and chocked full of psychotic villains. A city with the villain that killed his baby brother. How would he protect his son? How would he keep his little boy safe from Deathstroke and The Court of Owls? Surely they would set their sights on his son, if they couldn't have Dick they might as well take Daniel instead. Thought of his own son being turn against him by his greatest enemies nearly made him break down into a sobbing mess. He took a deep breath and pulled himself together. Roy, who is currently flying the private jet, would panic if he suddenly heard Dick crying like a baby.

Maybe he could convince Wally and Roy to look out for Daniel until he told his family. Although, speedsters do have trouble keeping their mouth shut so he should just stick with Roy as a potential babysitter. If that fails then he could always get Damian to train him a guard dog. His little brother probably wouldn't ask too many questions if he said he wanted extra security for his house. Plus, Damian loves animals. Perhaps he should move back into the manor with his son after everything dies down.

A sigh brushed passed his lips. This would be more complicated than he thought. Dick was in such a rush he forget to make a room for Daniel. What are kids even interested in now a days? Things were a lot different from when he was a child running around the manor, swinging on the chandlers. Superheroes, his son might like them. Dick personal preferred Superman over Batman when he was little. Now he couldn't help wondering if that hurt Bruce's feelings. He could hardly bring himself to imagine how he would feel if his son loved a superhero other than Nightwing. It was not a good feeling… Dick thought back to this morning, his head resting on the window as he stared outside. Even now he could still vividly remember his conversation over the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author Note: Might contain some inaccurate information due to my lack of knowledge regarding the matter._

* * *

 _Dick thought back to this morning, his head resting on the window as he stared outside. Even now he could still vividly remember his conversation over the phone._

 _Earlier This Morning_

Only three hours had past since he went to bed from a late night of crime fighting, and his phone was already blaring obnoxious music on his nightstand. Dick briefly contemplated smashing his phone against the floor of his apartment bedroom, but decided to answer it instead. "Hello." His voice was tired and scratchy.

"Hello. I'm Elin from the Amity Park Social Services. I need to speak with Richard Grayson." The woman - Elin stated.

"Amity Park Social Services? Why do you need to talk to me?" Dick groggily inquired. He glanced at his alarm clock, noticing the displayed time was in fact nine o'clock. With an inaudible sigh he laid on his back desperately trying to fight off his body's need for rest. "Madeline Fenton and Jack Fenton have passed away. According to Madeline's will if anything were to happen to her you would gain custody of her son Daniel." Elin calmly replied.

"Why me?" Dick couldn't help but question aloud.

"It was stated in her will that you would gain custody of her son and the birth certificate lists you as the father. Also, none of Madeline or Jack's relatives are suitable for caring for a child." Elin answered.

 _"What…? WHAT?!"_ He thought as he sprung upright, feeling more awake than he has in a while. _"Maddie left me custody of her - our son."_

"Are you sure?" Dick questioned with as much seriousness as he could muster. On the outside he seemed calm and collected, but internally he was panicking. A son. He isn't prepared for that kind of responsibility. Dick already has enough on his plate considering he runs around in the dead of the night catching criminals. "Yes, I'm sure." Elin steadily answered. A few minutes of an unbearable silence past. "Did you not know?" Elin added cautiously.

"No, I had no idea." Dick groaned, nervously running a hand through his messy black hair. How could Maddie never tell him about his son? Half of him wanted to be furious and the other half wanted to teleport to Amity Park so he could comfort his son.

"If you don't want Daniel, I can try to find a place that will take care of him." She said, a look of horror spread across Dick's face. Flash backs to his own time in a juvenile center and orphanage played in the back of his mind. There is no way in hell he would let his child live through that kind of nightmare. Those places are the breeding grounds of evil. Dick still swore some of those kids were demons incarnate. "What?! No, no, no. I'll take care of him. I will travel to Amity Park as soon as possible." Dick said with a sense of finality.

 _End of Flashback_

Before he knew it the private jet landed and Roy waltzed out of the cockpit. He was wearing casual clothing. A simple red T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers to be exact. Dick asked him to dress in something other than his Red Arrow costume. Of course, Roy initially questioned why but eventually complied with his request. As for Dick's outfit, he had no idea what to wear and after an hour of looking through his closet he ended up in formal clothes. He wore a pristine black suit and dress shoes.

What else was he supposed to wear? It wasn't like he could show up in a stained blue hoodie, orange shorts, and worn black sneakers. Well, he could, but he wanted to make a good impression on the social workers he will be dealing with later. And casual clothing did not scream 'I'm a responsible father who cares about their child'. It screamed 'I'm a messy person and don't deserve to be a father'. Dick _really_ wanted to be a good father, and if that meant getting fashion advice from Barbara then so be it. She did question why he needed the advice but he managed to convince her it was for the mission… At least, Dick hopes he successfully convinced her.

"So… Why exactly did I need to fly you to Amity Park, Ohio for a bat-mission? Couldn't you just have one of your brothers do this?" Roy questioned, flopping down in the chair directly in front of Dick and facing him with a curious expression. Dick internally sighed. It was only a matter of time before Roy started asking questions. And there was no point in hiding his true mission from one of his best friends. The red clad archer had always proven to be a trust worthy friend. A friend he could share his deepest, darkest secrets with. A friend who would defend those secrets with his life.

"It's not really a bat related mission, it's a personal mission." Dick admitted, nervously shifting in his seat. Almost instantly, Roy's facial expression shifted. His eyes narrowed as he gave Dick an icy glare and clenched his jaw.

"Not what I heard, care to fill me in on the details of this so called _personal mission_?" Roy growled, sending Dick a look that said 'explain this now'. Dick really should have suspected Roy would not be happy about him lying about the mission.

Dick, the most loving and lighthearted person everyone knew, gave Roy the most serious expression he could summon. He called upon his past experience as Batman to pull off such a feat. Roy looked slightly taken back by the sheer intensity of it. Dick unconsciously slipped his voice into his Batman impression as he spoke, "Do you promise to keep this just between us?" Which earned him that concerned angry look only Roy was capable of making. When Dick realized what he was doing he cleared his throat and continued in his normal voice. "I want as few people as possible to know about this right now."

Roy huffed, "Dick, in all the years that I have known you, I have kept every single one of your most embarrassing secrets, and you choose now to doubt me." Well, Roy had him there. But Dick needed to be one hundred percent sure this topic stays on the down low.

"Roy, this is really important. I can't handle this alone. Bruce is under a lot of stress and I know he won't like this. Can you keep it a secret?" Dick said.

The red haired archer noticed Dick wouldn't let this go and sighed, "Fine, my lips are sealed."

After a few agonizing moments of silence, Dick softly spoke, "I'm here to pick up my son…" Roy's reaction was instantaneous. He flew out of his chair, eyes wide, his jaw dropped so low Dick was worried it would fall off. "Wait… WHAT?! You have a son. Why did you never tell me?!" Roy demanded, crossing his arms.

"Hey, in my defense, I just found out this morning."

"How is that any better?! You just found out and Bruce doesn't know. That's why you're making me blood oath to secrecy, isn't it? Because somehow the self-proclaimed 'world's greatest detective' never realized he has a grandson." Roy said, his voice rising in volume with each sentence. For some reason, at that moment everything began to sink in. Dick has a son. A son that he will need to love and protect. On that night, he never thought his action would have any consequences. That it would be like all his other drunken one night stands. But now he is a father, and Dick wasn't mental prepared for that.

He tried to keep himself together, but he snapped under the pressure of all his new responsibilities and worries. "Yes, he doesn't know! I was young and foolish, and never expected this to happen. Roy, I don't know what to do. I am happy, worried, angry, and really confused… I'm not ready to be a father!" Dick howled, hunched over with his face buried in his hands. Suddenly, all the tears he had been suppressing escaped as sobs sent tremors through his body.

Dick _really_ tried to be okay with all of this, but he wasn't. He didn't want to lie to his family. He didn't want to keep Daniel a secret. He didn't want to have all these worries and doubts about being a father, and the list seemed to go on forever. What if the Court of Owls is still out there and finds out he has a son? What if Deathstroke attacks his home while his is out and kidnaps Daniel? There were so many terrible 'what ifs' plaguing his mind it is driving him crazy. And Dick couldn't even begin to describe how he felt about Maddie's death.


End file.
